Vaginal speculum



March 13, 1951 J MARCQ 2,544,932

VAGINAL SPECULQM Filed May '7, 1949 FIG.4.

INVENTOR JOHN L. MARCO ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VAGINALSPECULUM John L. Marco, Flushing, N. Y., assignor to Goodman-Kleiner00., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation Application May 7, 1949,Serial No. 91,997 Y i This invention relates o a vaginal speculum.

One of the objects of the invention is a vaginal speculum havinginterchangeable depressors, so that the depressor, or pair of depressorsof the proper size and of the required shape may be inserted in theinstrument. Thiswould obviate the need of maintaining numerous speculaofdifferent sizesand of different shapes. An' allied object is toprovide a vaginal speculum having interchangeable depressors which arevery easily removed from, or inserted in, the instrument.

Another object of theinvention is to provide in a vaginal speculum ofthe interchangeable character described, wire depressors which willpermit the maximum observation of the tissues. Another object of theinvention is to provide a vaginal speculum which may be readily andthoroughly cleaned and sterilized, by reason of the removability of thedepressors and especially, in

the case of the aforesaid wire depressors.

Still another object is' to provide a vaginal speculum of the typedescribed in which there will be provision for a lateral opening so thatspeculum can be removed without disturbing or withdrawing an instrumentwhich may be within the speculum. Asa restiltIobservation or X-rayfocusing is facilitated'andmade easier and more efiective.

For the attainment of the foregoing and such other objects as may appearor be pointed out '3' Claims. (01. 123- 17) herein, I have shown apreferred embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawing,wherein:

-Fig. 1 is a frontview of the instrument.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view-thereof.

posite .to that of perspective view Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a top view of an interchangeable solid type of depressor, and

Fig. '5 is a top view' of'an interchangeable wire depressor.

The improved vaginal speculum of this invention comprises three mainmembers, namely, a lower body member (generally designated l0), an upperslidable memberlgenerally designated 20) Fig. 3 is a sideview, takenfrom the side opand a pivoted member (generally designated 30).

lower body member I!) and which embraces the shank 2| of the slidablemember 20 but not .at the upper end. of extension 22. member 38 has asymmetrical bifurcated portion ;3 2 similar to the bifurcated portionl2? of the body member [0. As best seen in Fig. 1, the bi-;furcatedportion 32 of s ide member 30 is arcu- ,;ateshaped and occupiesthe upper half of the in- Itightly, so that the shank ,2: thereof maymove or slide within collar l9. Machine screw or stud I8 is firmlyscrewed into shank H and projects beyond it, as clearly seen in Fig. 3,to clear through an elongated slot 28 in the shank 2i of the slidablemember '20. The upper slide member 20 may be secured, in adjustedposition, to the body member I0 by tightening a hand-nut ll provided atthe end of belt I8, extending beyond the collar [9, see Fig. 3.

The shank H of the lower body member ID is considerably longer than theshank 2i of the upper slide member 20, and is symmetrically bifurcatedat its upper end, designated l2 (see esp. Fig. 1) to provide a pair ofcars l2, l2 which terminate in sleeves l3, [3 of small bore. The shankor slide 2| of the upper slide member 20 has upward extension 2| extendslaterally (and upthere is no symmetrically-disposed extension on theother side (the reason of this asymmetrical construction will be laterexplained).

The above-mentioned pivoted member so is pivoted at the upper end ofextension 2|, as by means of a small screw 34 which is firmly screwedinto the pivoted member 39 and clears in a hole Said pivoted strument,while the bifurcated portion l2 of v 7 The bifurcated upper portion 32like the lower portion .I 2 terminates in a pair of sleeves 33, 33 ofsmall bore.

1; The pair of sleeves l3,

amember i0 is adapted to receive the tip ends 3 of the depressors (morefully described later); the -pa ir of sleeves '33, 33 of the upperpivoted mem l3 of the lower body ber 30 is also adapted to receive thesame tip ends 3 of the depressors. In Fig. 4 is shown a depressor A ofthe solid type, having a solid portion 4 which is slightly concaved orcupped, as better seen in Figs. 2-3. To the shield or solid portion 4 ofsolid depressor 4 are secured the aforesaid pair of insertable tips 3(which may be made integrally with the body portion 4). In Fig. 2 isalso shown a pair of wire depressors B, B (one thereof also being shownin Fig. 3). Such fenestration depressors are formed of a length of wire5 right-hand side.

formed in U-shape, providing ends which serve as the insertable ends 3,3. A somewhat different style of wire depressor C is shown in Fig. 5,wherein the end portion 6 is made closer together than the standardspacing between insertable ends 3, 3. The wire from which the depressoris made has a degree of resiliency and the depressor is so shaped anddimensioned that there will be an extent of natural spring or tendencyto urge the ends 3, 3 slightly apart, greater than the pre-.- determineddistance between bores l3, I3 and 33, 33. Hence the ends of thedepressor are squeezed slightly for insertion, which imposes afunctional pressure tending to hold the ends. firmly within the bores ofthe sleeves.

The improved instrument is further provided with adjustable means tolimit the pivotal move ment of pivoted member 30 and also with a manualmember to manipulate or open the pivoted member 30. For these purposes,the pivoted ,slide member 20 has an upwardly-directed extension 22 andthat this was asymmetrical, being provided on one side only. Referringto Fig. 1, i

this upwardly-directed extension 22 is on the The above mentioned finger32 is likewise on the right-hand side of the instrument.

The shanks ll, 2| of the two members I, 2'0,-

When so held in hand, the thumb is placed on the distal end of finger 32of the pivotedmember 30, so that slight pressure thereon opens orSpreads the member 30 relative to the member [0. It is understood thatin this manner the depressors may be inserted into the organ and spreadapart to prepare the organ for inspection, medication, X-ray, etc. Thepressure of the spread-open organ, bearing upon the pair of depressors,tends to close the instrument, i. e., to turn pivoted member 30 in thedirection opposite to that caused by finger pressure on member 32. Tolimit the extent of such closing movement, so that the instrument willremain inopen position to the extent desired, a stop is provided. Thisis in the form of a threaded spindle 2'! having an eyelet 29. at one endby which it ispivotally mounted, as by a screw or rivet 26, to theupwardly-directed extension 22. As best seen in Fig. 3, threaded spindle21 clears through a slightly elongated slot 31 in the aforesaid finger32 of the pivoted member 30. A nut 25 on threaded spindle 21 serves asthe adjustable stop to. prevent (leftward, as viewed in Fig. 3) movementof the pivoted member, as the organ tends to close the depressor jaws.

By reason of the features of interchangeability, the pair of depressorsmay both be of the wire type (as B, B in Fig. 2) or both may be of thesolid type (as A, A in said Fig. 2) or one may be solid (such as upper Ain Fig. 3) and the other may be wire or fenestrated (such as lower B insaid Fig. 3)

Referring especially to Fig. 1 by reason of the aforesaid asymmetricalarrangement of the upward extension 22 and the downward finger 32 (bothbeing on the left-hand side of the instrument), the other (right-hand,Fig. 1) is left entirely free so that the speculum can be removedwithout disturbing the instrument within it.

I claim:

1. In a vaginal speculum, in combination, a body member having a shankterminating at its upper end in an arcuate bifurcation presenting a pairof sleeves of small bore, a member having a shank slidably mounted onsaid shank of the body member and an upwardly-directed extensionlaterally projecting at a predetermined side of the shank, a memberpivotally mounted at the upper end of said extension and having adownwardly-directed finger on the predetermined side and an arcuatebifurcation also presenting a pair of sleeves of small bore, the saidarcuate bifurcation of the body member being disposed opposite, in lowerrelation, to said arcuate bifurcation of the pivoted member, and a pairof depressors each having a pair of equi-distanced ends interchangeablyinsertable in said two pairs of sleeves of the body member and of thepivoted member.

2. In a vaginal speculum, in combination, a body member having a shankterminating at its upper end in an arcuate bifurcat.on presenting a pairof sleeves of small bore, a member having a shank slidably mounted onsaid shank of the body member, a member pivotally mounted on said slidemember and having an arcuate bifurcation also presenting a pair ofsleeves of small bore, the said arcuate bifurcation of the body memberbeing disposed opposite, inlower relation, to said arcuate bifurcationof the pivoted member, and a pair of depressors each having a pair ofequi-distanced ends interchangeably insertable in said two pairs ofsleeves of the body member and of the pivoted member.

3. A depressor for a vaginal speculum comprising a solid portion at thedistal end thereof and. a pair of rods extending from the proximal endthereof, said rods being parallel to each other and spaced apart apredetermined distance corresponding to the speculum.

JOHN L. MARCO;

Cameron June 8, 1926 Smith Mar. 26, 1929 OTHER REFERENCES Catalog ofGeorge Tiemann & Co., New York, copyrighted 1899, page 441. (Copy inDiv. 55.

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